Chapter 1400

After giving orders to baksov, I gave orders to babashin to attack.

Akhromeyev looked at the troops of the three divisions with binoculars and rushed out from their respective defensive positions. Under the guidance of our army's tanks, he launched a chase after the fleeing enemy. He could not help asking me with some worry: "Comrade commander, we are going out all the way. Isn't the existing defensive position empty? If our counterattack doesn't go well and the German army turns to attack in a certain area, how can we stop them? "

"Don't worry, major." I think that akhromeyev's worries are totally groundless. I confidently said to him: "although I gave orders to all three division commanders to attack, I also ordered each of them to leave a regiment and stick to the existing defensive positions. Even if the German army turns to defense in a certain area, it is not so easy to break through our defense in a short time. "

I guess the reason why the German army sent tanks to assist in the attack is that our army has no solid position. As long as their tanks rush, our defense line will be destroyed. But I didn't expect that our position had such big killers as self-propelled artillery, which could just restrain their tank attack. The German sneak attack tonight is nothing but stealing chicken.

Our counterattack was smooth at the beginning, but things changed as we approached the commanding height of the German garrison. After the initial chaos, the defenders who held fast to the commanding height began to use mortars and machine guns to intercept our counter attack forces.

The sound of guns, which had become sparse, suddenly became intense. Our army's commanders and fighters followed behind the tanks, facing the bombardment of bullets and artillery. In the shrouded smoke, they stood up bayonets and formed a dense wave formation. Sweeping in the rain of bullets, they fell in a string; In the fierce explosion, each figure was lifted. Although on the road of counterattack, the lower layers of dead bodies have been laid, the commanders and fighters are still charging forward one after another.

When I was in the observation post, I saw through the telescope that the tank's firepower to suppress the German commanding heights was limited. On the contrary, the casualties of our army's commanders and fighters were increasing under the enemy's firepower. Although with the progress of the battle, there are burning lights everywhere, which can illuminate the battlefield in fierce battle, it is night after all, and the visibility is limited, so it is difficult for commanders at all levels to command their troops like hands.

In order not to suffer more casualties, I immediately told akhromeyev: "major, call the three division commanders and order them to stop the attack immediately and withdraw the troops back to the defensive position."

"Comrade commander, why retreat?" When akhromeyev saw that the fighting situation was the most fierce, I gave the order to retreat. He asked me in a puzzled way: "the enemy's garrison on these commanding heights will not be many. At most, there will be one or two platoons of troops. As long as our soldiers rush several times, they will be able to win."

"Dark is not conducive to the command of commanders at all levels." After I simply stated my reasons, I repeated my original order: "let all divisions withdraw their troops immediately, and the tank brigade is responsible for cutting off the rear, so as to prevent the German army from launching a counter offensive."

After receiving my order to withdraw, the two division commanders, shijerikov and babahin, had no opinion. They immediately ordered the attacking troops to return to their original defensive positions under alternate cover. However, baksov called me and said, "Comrade commander, my troops are playing very well. In half an hour at most, they will be able to win a commanding height of the German army. But you suddenly ordered us to retreat, and we fell short of success. "

"General baksov," I said with a straight face after listening to his complaints, "don't you see that our commanders and fighters have paid a huge price under the German artillery fire and machine gun fire?"

"But, comrade commander." Barksov didn't understand me. He asked vaguely, "if we can win the enemy's high ground, it's worth our sacrifice."

"Have you forgotten?" I said with some tears and laughter: "we can't get any support in a period of time. This is the case with weapons, ammunition and military supplies, let alone soldiers. If you run out of divisions, you will have to stay behind as spectators in the next battle. "

When I said this, barksov suddenly realized it and quickly said, "yes, comrade commander, I understand. I'll ask the troops to withdraw immediately."

After all the troops of the 51st division of the guards had withdrawn from the defensive position, shejerikov called me. He reported to me on the phone: "Comrade commander, many of our division's commanders and fighters were injured in the offensive just now. However, due to the limited number of health workers, many of the wounded are still on the battlefield. What should we do now? "

"What else can we do?" When I heard that, I was so angry that I raised my voice and yelled at him: "Colonel, do you forget that our army's tradition is that under no circumstances can one of our comrades in arms be left behind? I order you to immediately organize people to take advantage of the dark weather, which is not conducive to German observation, to carry down the wounded on the battlefield. "

As soon as I put down the phone, akhromeyev added: "Comrade commander, your withdrawal order was a little sudden. I think not only the 51st division of the guards, but also the 67th and 71st divisions of the guards, many of the wounded are still on the battlefield. You should also call the other two teachers and ask them to send people to carry the wounded down. "

Just as I was about to call the other two teachers and ask them if there were any wounded left in the battlefield, the telephone rang on the desk. Akhromeyev and I looked at each other and said, "major, guess who's calling."

"I can't guess who called." "But it must be one of the two division commanders. They expect to see someone in the 51st division leave the defensive position and re-enter the battlefield, so they call to inquire," said akhromeyev, staring at the ringing telephone

With that, he raised his hand, grabbed the phone, stuck it in his ear and said in a loud voice, "I'm major ahlomeyev, the war chief. Where are you?" It's Colonel babashin. How do you do! Can I help you That's right, that's right. The 51st division of the guards is going out with the permission of the commander. Instead of attacking the enemy, they are going to bring back all the wounded left in the battlefield Not yet? Why is that The commander ordered that your division should immediately organize personnel to rescue the wounded... "

With my order, the three divisions sent a large number of health workers and stretchers to carry back most of the wounded in the battlefield, and even some of the German wounded. As for how to deal with the German wounded, Xie jerikov specially called me to ask for instructions: "Comrade commander, our division has rescued more than 100 German wounded. What should we do with them?"

Originally, even if I don't say anything like this, he should know that it must be out of humanitarian considerations to treat these German wounded. But the destination he called me was because I had ordered the execution of captured German soldiers several times, so he felt it necessary to call me for instructions, and after obtaining my approval, he could decide whether to treat the wounded or simply shoot them all.

As the situation of war develops in our favor, I have rarely given such orders as shooting prisoners. Therefore, as for shejerikov's request for instructions, I said lightly: "Colonel, since these Germans have become our prisoners, as long as they don't do any damage, let the military doctors treat them. At the right time, send someone to send his mother to the rear

After daybreak, chisgakov and bzikov arrived at my headquarters. When they saw the defense area where fierce fighting had happened, they could not help but be surprised. Chisjakov asked nervously, "Comrade commander, what's the matter? Have you fought with the Germans? "

"Yes, comrade deputy commander." I replied with a smile: "last night, the German army sent out tanks to attack our positions, but we found them. Then we first used artillery fire to intercept the German offensive forces, and then destroyed their artillery. When the enemy's attack was frustrated, we launched a full line counterattack, causing a lot of casualties to the enemy. Unfortunately... "

At this point, I stopped, sighed, and then said, "unfortunately, our counterattack troops were attacked by the German troops deployed at the commanding height, and they paid a lot of casualties. In order to avoid more casualties, I ordered the troops to stop the attack in time. "

After my words, bzikov nodded and said with approval, "Comrade commander, your determination is very timely. Before coming to the headquarters, I had observed the German commanding heights in the distance with the deputy commander and found that there were many bodies of our commanders and fighters in front of their positions, which shows how fierce the fighting was last night. "

"The chief of staff is right." As soon as besikov finished his speech, chisjakov went on to say: "according to my observation, the casualties suffered by the troops during the counterattack were almost negligible. But further on, many bodies of our soldiers began to appear. The closer to the German commanding heights, the more corpses there were on the battlefield. If you didn't ask the troops to stop attacking in time, I think some troops might be disabled in the battle. "

When we were talking, many members of the communication department, under the command of razumeyeva, pulled telephone lines and set up telephone antennas inside and outside the headquarters.

There is a newly opened telephone on the desk. Razumeyeva just finished trying the phone, nodded to me and said, "Comrade commander, the phone is normal. You can use it at any time."

As soon as her words were finished, the telephone on the desk suddenly rang, which startled her. She quickly picked up the phone and handed it to me. I took the microphone and pasted it to my ear. Politely, I asked, "I'm o'shanina. Where are you?"

"Rita, I'm rokosovsky." Rokosovsky's familiar voice came out of the microphone. He asked with concern, "how are you? Have your troops reached the outskirts of kalinkovich?"

"Yes, comrade commander of the front army." Since it was rokosovsky who asked this question himself, I would of course answer truthfully: "our troops arrived outside kalinkovic yesterday afternoon and built fortifications. Last night, the German armored forces attempted to attack us, and their attack was smashed by us. "

Rokosovsky has long been used to my concise and comprehensive way of reporting. After a hum, he then asked, "Rita, I once told you that the military personnel and weapons provided by the supreme command are mainly supplied by the Ukrainian first front army in vatukin, and our front army can hardly get any supplement. Even under such circumstances, the attack orders given to us have not been cancelled. Therefore, it is up to you to act according to the situation of the battlefield. "

"Don't worry, comrade commander of the front army." Although rokosovsky put such a heavy burden on me, which made me feel a great responsibility on my shoulders, I replied confidently: "I will try my best to eliminate the German forces of moziri and kalinkovic."“ I'm relieved to hear that you are so confident. " After finishing these two sentences, rokosovsky stopped for a moment, and then suddenly said, "by the way, the siege you ended yesterday wiped out two German divisions and captured 3000 prisoners. What a beautiful job. The commander-in-chief himself knows about this and speaks highly of you. " I heard that Stalin praised me for yesterday's battle. I couldn't help grinning silently. In the microphone came rokosovsky's voice again: "but you can't be proud. In addition to sending more scouts to scout the enemy's defense, you should also make all combat preparations. When your group army arrives, it will officially launch a comprehensive attack on the German army." When I heard rokosovsky's words, my heart suddenly sank. I said that there was not enough ammunition now. It was simply an impossible task for my troops to take the initiative to attack the heavily defended German city. If our artillery ammunition is sufficient and we can send an aviation division every day to bombard the German defensive positions, then there is no problem in launching a full-scale attack. Thinking of this, I can't help asking rokosovsky: "Comrade commander, we are going to launch a comprehensive attack on the German army. I don't know what kind of assistance the headquarters of the front army can provide us?"